Prince Ning and Xia Mingzhe, who were also in the hall but remained silent, both looked at Zhao Jian, who seemed unusually calm. Even though Zhao Jian appeared as composed as ever, his words of protection were clearly more convincing. However, seeing him standing with A Hao, both of them simultaneously thought of a pair of devoted lovers.
Zhang Yu didn't avoid the scene, and no one noticed the emotion that flashed across his eyes, but inwardly he sneered at Zhao Jian's actions. All they heard was him still speaking slowly, "Aunt Song brews tea for my mother every day, so she probably doesn't find it troublesome. Why do you mind?"
He raised the corners of his lips, then changed the subject, saying to Ahao, "If you perform well, I can spare Xue Liangyue from further punishment." With a wave of his hand, Lü Yuan immediately left the hall to stop the palace servants who were beating Xue Liangyue.
·
From the moment Ah Hao stepped into the hall, she was already in a difficult situation, but in a short while, things took a turn for the worse than she had expected.
Many things cannot be judged by appearances alone, Ah Hao knows this. Having spent many years by the Empress Dowager's side, she is not entirely ignorant of court affairs due to her exposure to such things.
Prince Anping held sway over a region and commanded a large army. When His Majesty first ascended the throne, he was not very old. At that time, the borders were unstable, but Prince Anping and his heir had already made numerous military achievements, thus gaining considerable influence in the court.
Two years ago, Prince Anping took the initiative to offer to relinquish military power to His Majesty, but it remains nothing more than empty words. Even if His Majesty harbors some reservations, their contributions are significant, and there are too many things involved, so He must outwardly show leniency.
Ah Hao understood all this, and thought it was easy to comprehend the attitudes of His Majesty and the Crown Prince. But why did His Majesty suddenly mention Xue Liangyue? And why did he offer her such terms? Moreover, out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the Crown Prince's expression, and it seemed rather unpleasant.
Yuan Gonggong said that Xue Liangyue brought disaster upon herself by saying the wrong thing. Could it be that what she said was related to both her and the Crown Prince? But there still seems to be something that doesn't make sense.
Full of confusion and proceeding with utmost caution, A-Hao had just stepped outside when she grabbed Lü Yuan, who was walking towards her, and asked with a frown, "Eunuch Yuan, what exactly happened? What did A-Yue say? Can you explain yourself clearly?"
Lu Yuansu's expression turned serious. He gave Ahao a shushing look, pulled her aside, and whispered, "No matter what, isn't it pretty good like this?"
Ah Hao didn't feel anything was wrong, but Lü Yuan said, "Aunt Xue said to His Majesty that Aunt Song was very happy because of the Crown Prince's praise after she returned yesterday."
Why doesn't she remember being happy after she went back yesterday? Ah Hao frowned, wanting to doubt her words, but she didn't think the person in front of her had any reason to lie to her. However, she also didn't want Xue Liangyue to have deliberately said something with such obvious implications.
“Aunt Song, throughout history, the human heart has always been the most unpredictable thing. Peace and tranquility are often only achieved because there is no conflict of interest. You must understand such a simple truth.” Lu Yuan said, but he had more thoughts in mind.
His Majesty has always cared about the relationship between Aunt Song and Prince Zhao, especially Aunt Song. Regardless of the reason, Prince Zhao also seems to have taken a liking to Aunt Song.
Aunt Xue told His Majesty and Prince Zhao that Aunt Song was overjoyed by the prince's praise. How could His Majesty not be angry? Although she used other pretexts to attack her, she ultimately caused trouble because of what she said.
Lu Yuan pondered to himself, this person is truly remarkable; without making a sound, he has already surpassed others by a great deal. But these thoughts were something he absolutely could not say to Song Shuhao. So, after giving Song Shuhao a brief reminder, Lu Yuan led her to the side hall.
·
The night before, Xue Liangyue had shared her worries with her, thinking that she had come to some understanding after being persuaded, but today it seemed that things were not as she thought. Ahao knew she shouldn't be naive, but if the matter was true, all those years of friendship would have been wasted.
Tea was brewed again and sent over, but everyone who had been in the hall was gone. Only Zhang Yu remained, sitting behind his desk, head bowed, seemingly already reviewing memorials. The change was too sudden; Ah Hao almost felt like she was dreaming.
Without looking up, Zhang Yu said, "What are you doing standing there?" A-Hao then brought the tea to the dragon table. When she got closer, Zhang Yu looked up, tapped the table, and ordered, "Grind the tea."
Not quite keeping up with his pace, Ah Hao was a beat behind before following his instructions. One moment he was carefully considering every word he uttered, and the next, before he even understood the reason, everything was fine. Ah Hao's mind was a jumble of thoughts: what had happened in the hall, what Lü Yuan had said. His head was spinning even more.
"Feeling disappointed that you didn't see her?" Zhang Yu's inexplicable question made A-Hao shake her head without thinking. Zhang Yu smiled and then asked again, "Want to know why she was punished?"
Ah Hao paused slightly, wondering if His Majesty was unusually easy to talk to, unlike before. Was there something particularly good to be happy about? She really wanted to know, especially since the other party had asked her first. Ah Hao nodded, not very politely but very honestly.
Zhang Yu kindly offered to answer her question, saying, "I hate it when people try to fool me with lies." Lü Yuan's words came out again. Even though she wanted to know how the emperor knew it was a lie, she didn't dare to say it aloud. She nodded again, looking obedient.
After pausing for a while without speaking, Zhang Yu finished reviewing two more memorials, set them aside, glanced at Ahao, and saw that she had fallen asleep standing up. She simply closed her eyes, her hands stopped moving, her expression was calm, and her breathing was steady.
Carelessly forgetting that Song Shuhao hadn't rested much for a day and a night, Zhang Yu called her twice but received no response. So he put down his imperial brush and carefully took the ink stick from her hand.
Perhaps because he was too tired, and because Zhang Yu moved so gently, A-Hao didn't wake up. Zhang Yu paused for a moment, then picked her up without hesitation and carried her to the inner room to rest.
Chapter 13 Fate
The unbearable pain caused Xue Liangyue to faint. Two eunuchs carried her back to her residence on a stool. When Empress Dowager Feng heard about this, she didn't say anything special, but simply ordered someone to find a female physician to examine her. The palace servants, upon receiving the order, went to the Imperial Hospital to fetch her.
When Song Shuhao went to see her, the female physician had just examined Xue Liangyue and prescribed medicine. Upon seeing her, the physician bowed and withdrew. Ahao nodded, her attention focused on Xue Liangyue, who was lying on the bed.
Her clothes had been cut open with scissors, exposing her scarred and shocking back to everyone in the room. The young palace maid who had been cleaning the wounds with Xue Liangyue with a damp cloth immediately stopped and bowed when she saw Song Shuhao. Only after receiving a signal from Ahao did she dare to continue, her movements becoming even more cautious.
Xue Liangyue was probably still unconscious. No matter how careful the palace maid was, she couldn't help but aggravate her wounds. In her unconscious state, she let out a few soft moans. After cleaning up the bloodstains around her, the wounds against her snow-white skin were even more unbearable to look at.
Standing beside the bed, Song Shuhao looked at Xue Liangyue, her feelings a mix of complex emotions. In the past, she had always believed that as long as she did her job well, most troubles could be avoided, and that had indeed been the case.
But ever since she inexplicably became entangled with that person, things seemed to change. One trouble after another, big and small, came knocking. First there was An Meiren, then Xue Liangyue, and who would be next was anyone's guess. That person's attitude left her even more bewildered.
Thinking about how she had woken up in the Xuanzhi Palace, and then recalling her encounter with Consort An—wasn't it because of the Empress Dowager that she had taken action? Even earlier, she had angered this person… Ah Hao thought to herself, that time in the carriage was truly embarrassing, yet she had been punished once. Later, she had angered her again, and was similarly punished by kneeling.
Compared to Xue Liangyue, who was punished for saying the wrong thing, this seems relatively good. However, such a comparison might be overly self-comforting. If it wasn't because of the Empress Dowager, what else could it be? Did His Majesty think she had other uses?
Lanxiang, the palace maid who usually takes care of Xue Liangyue, returned with medicine for her injuries. Ahao snapped out of her thoughts, nodded slightly, and ultimately said nothing before returning to her room.
Her head was throbbing so badly that she thought she'd sleep a little longer, but once she lay down on the bed, her mind was a jumbled mess, and she couldn't fall asleep at all. No matter what, she had one thing very clear: the less involved she was with that person, the better. But could she still survive in this palace as she had before?
She tossed and turned, only adding to her worries. Half an hour passed, and she was still exhausted but unable to fall asleep. Ah Hao got up and dressed, preparing to return to Empress Dowager Feng's side to serve her.
After tidying up, Ah Hao noticed a small white porcelain jar containing the fragrant dew. She remained silent for a while, then called in a maid, handed her the jar, and gave her a few instructions. The maid went to do her errand, and Ah Hao left the room as well.
·
After leaving Xuanzhi Hall, Prince Ning did not accompany Xia Mingzhe, nor did he go with Zhao Jian. Instead, he went to Changning Palace to pay his respects to Empress Dowager Feng. He was already used to Zhang Yu's unpredictable moods and capricious nature. Apart from the somewhat strange behavior of Zhao Jian, he did not pay much attention to what happened in Xuanzhi Hall.
As he left Changning Palace and prepared to return to the Prince Ning's residence, his attendant whispered a few words to him. He frowned and became serious, but the direction he was heading had already changed.
Prince Ning walked until he reached a secluded palace. Unlike most other palaces, this one was noticeably dilapidated and almost deserted, exuding an indescribable sense of desolation and loneliness.
The plaque above the palace entrance read "Changchun Palace," which was, ironically, the Cold Palace. The attendants following Prince Ning pushed open the door, and Prince Ning went inside. The two attendants, however, consciously remained outside and did not follow.
Upon seeing the person, Prince Ning spoke first, asking, "What is it?" His expression was grave, seemingly impatient, but more likely extremely displeased at being summoned to this place. No matter how unwilling he was, he had come anyway.
Zhang Ye's voice rang out, and the charming and graceful woman slowly turned around, her clear, bright eyes fixed on him. A hint of annoyance flickered across her face, her brows furrowing slightly. "Can't I contact you if there's nothing wrong? We've known each other since childhood, have you forgotten all that?"
"It's nothing, I'll be going now." Prince Ning didn't buy it, and his expression didn't soften in the slightest because of her words. After saying that, he really turned around to leave. Then he heard the person behind him stomp his foot, and his breathing suddenly became a little rapid. He hurriedly called out to him, "A-Ye!" but he couldn't take another step.